Coupling pin and attachment therefor



' Jul 24, 1934. L EG 1,967,820

COUPLING PIN AND ATTACHMENT THEREFOR Filed June 4, 1932 INVENTORATTORNEY Patented July 24, 1934 units!) STATES COUPLING PIN ANDATTACHMENT THEREFOR Louis D. Gregg, Hackensack, N. ,J., assignor .to TheGregg Company, Limited, New York, .N. Y., a corporation of New YorkApplication June 4, 1932, Serial No. 615,281

'7 Claims.

This invention relates to car couplers of the link and-pin type in whichthe draw-headof the coupler is provided above and below the link chamberwith pin-retaining holes, circular or arcuate, in which the coupling pinis inserted to secureia link tothe coupler, the pin being usually upsetat its upper end to provide a head which serves both to prevent itsdropping through the couplerand also as ahandle by which it can bemanipulated in the coupling and uncoupling of a In couplers of this typeit is highly desirable that thecoupling pin be in some way so securedthat it will not be accidentally lost and cannot bestolen. Accordingly,an early practice was to chain the coupling pin by its head either tothe car or to the draw-head, but this practice has been largelyabandoned since the retaining chains were frequently broken and thecoupling pins, if

I not actually lost, might in the case of a cane car for instance getinto the load ofcane and damage the rolls of :the mill in which the canewas ground. It is now customary to lock the pin against removal withinthe upper retaining hole or slot of r the coupler .head by providingasecond or locking headat its lower end; and,-since a pin with twointegral locking heads formed in advancecannot be assembled and a secondlocking head cannot as a practical matter be formed after assembly,

'- it is'the practice either to'provide a separate handle pr lower headand to attach it after assembly more or less securely to the pin, withthe result that it sometimes works loose and drops off, or to form thecoupler head with pin-retaining holes large enough to permit the passageof one or-both of the heads of the pin and then, after assembly, attachto the coupler head a plate or member which will partially close theupper retaining hole so that neither head of the pin can pass there- 1through. But however formed and locked in place,-a real and seriousobjection to the doubleheaded coupling pin is that its lower head hasto'be of a size permitting it to pass readily through the links some ofwhich provide a relatively narrow slot and the pin proper, being ofsmaller diameter, isof necessity materially reduced in section and hencein strength.

My present invention, by which I have obviated the above defects,consists, briefly, in providing a non-separable coupling pin of maximumsection and strength and, as ameans forlocking it w'ithin'theupperpin-retaining hole in the-coupler head, a strong yet flexible pivotedlink connection, in the nature of an elbow-jointure, com- I pr-ising' aplurality of members pivoted at their outer ends to the upper end of thecoupling pin and the upper wall of thecoupler head respectively andpivotally connected at their inner ends behind the coupling pin, whichnot only permits of the ready manipulationof the pin but reduces 3, to aminimum the possibility of the loss thereof from theft or otherwise.

Gne practical and the'preferred embodimentof the invention is shown, byway of illustrationan'd not of limitation, in the accompanying drawing,in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a coupler head equipped withmy improvements, showing the coupling pin raisedand in inoperativeposition; Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing thecoupling pin dropped tooperative position; Fig. 3 is a detail, showing in plan a part of theupper wall of a coupler head and, partly in section and partly in plan,the coupling pin and the members attaching it to the head in the sameposition in which they are shown in Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a view showingin longitudinal section a coupler or draw-head of somewhat differentform and in side-elevation thecoupling pin and its attaching members.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates the coupler head or the draw-headof a coupler, providing the usual link chamber 2 and pin-retainingholes3 and 4 =in'its walls above and'below the link chamberrespectively; and 5 indicates the usual coupling link.

The coupling pin 6 has at its upper end a rearwardly projecting lug '7providing, on its lower face, a shoulder adapted'to engage the upperwall of the coupler head at the rear of theupper-pinretaining hole, andso limit the downward movement of the pin, and its extended upper end isbent rearwardly at an angle, and preferably downwardly at the tip, toprovide a convenient handle 8 for its manipulation. Thelower tip-end 95of the coupling pin is tapered so as to provide a beveled face 9 (seeFig. 4) on its forward or outer side.

' The pivoted link connection between the coupling pin and the couplerhead, in the natur'e of an elbow-jointure, comprises a U-shaped memberand two link bars. The U-shaped member 10 has its two ends bentoutwardly to 'form trunnions 11, 11 which are loosely pivoted withinholes in ribs or fins 12, '12 projecting upwardly from the upper face ofthe coupler head on opposite sides of the upper pin-retaining hole, andthe outer tips l3, 13 of these ends are preferably bent back, outsidethe ribs, to prevent their being sprung-or pried out of their bearingsin the ribs. 116

The two link bars 14 are loosely pivoted at one end, behind or to therear of the coupling pin, upon the transverse connecting section of theU-shaped member, and at the other end to the opposite sides of thecoupling pin upon a pin 15 which is set through the coupling pinopposite the lug 7 and is headed at each end.

The pivoted link connection is operative, as seen, to extend and allowthe coupling pin to be raised and tilted rearwardly to a position inwhich it clears the link chamber in the coupler head and the beveledforward face of its tip bears against the forward wall of the upperpin-retaining hole, and when fully extended is of a length to preventthe withdrawal of the tip from this hole and so to hold the coupling pinsecurely locked therein. When raised and tilted back the coupling pinwill there be held, in inoperative position, by frictional engagement ofthe beveled face of its tip with the wall of the pin-retaining hole, buta jar in a longitudinal direction, as by the impact of the coupler headagainst the coupler head of another car, will release the coupling pinfrom such engagement and, the membersof the link connection foldingtogether, the pin will drop down to operative position in the couplerhead.

The shouldered lug at the upper end of the coupling pin, while notessential, is highly desirable. Under ordinary conditions the link barsof I the attachment and the pin by which they are pivoted to the upperend of the coupling pin will provide the stop required to limit thedownward movement of the coupling pin, but experience has shown that inexceptional cases the downward pull on the coupling pin is great enoughto shear off a pivot pin of even five-eighths inch diameter. So, too, aflexible mounting of the members of the link connection is importantsince otherwise the rotary stress on the coupling pin in roundingcurves, and especially where the pin-retaining holes in the coupler headare round instead of arcuate, might be sufiicient to distort if not toactually break the connection; and to provide the desired flexibilitythe holes of all the pivot joints are preferably made at leastone-sixteenth inch larger in diameter than the diameter of the pin orpart pivoted therein.

The coupling pin can readily be attached to most of the old couplerheads now in use either by springing the trunnion ends (without theirupturned tips) into holes drilled in the oppositely disposed ribs,similar to the ribs 12, which brace the upwardly extending face of manycoupler heads or by journaling the ends of this member I in upturnedears at the ends of a suitable plate,

cut away so as not to cover the upper pin-retaining hole, which can beriveted to the upper wall of the coupler head. 1

It is to be understood, of course, that the in- ,vention can be modifiedin its various details,

Within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from thespirit or sacrificing the substantial advantages thereof.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with the drawhead of a coupler of the typedescribed, of a coupling pin adapted to be raised to inoperativeposition with its tip within the upper pin hole in the head and tiltedrearwardly and supported in such raised and tilted position'by theengagement of its tip with the walls of the hole andwhen returned toupright position to drop to operative position within both the upper andlower pin holes in the head, and as retaining means therefor a flexibleelbow link connection between the upper end of, the pin and the headadapted to allow the above described movements of the pin and to preventthe withdrawal of its tip from said upper pin hole.

2. The combination, with the drawhead of a coupler having a link chamberand pin holes in its walls above and below said chamber, of a couplingpin having on the forward side of its tip a beveled face inserted in theupper hole in the head and adapted both to drop downwardly therethroughto operative position within the lower hole in the head and to be raisedclear of the link chamber and tilted rearwardly upon the upper rear edgeof the upper hole until the beveled face of its tip engages the frontwall of said hole and the pin is thus supported in raised inoperativeposition, and as retaining means therefor a flexible elbow linkconnection between the upper end of the pin and the head adapted toprevent the withdrawal of the tip of the pin from the upper hole in thehead while permitting the pin to be raised and held in inoperativeposition atilt therein and when the pin is returned to an upri htposition to fold and allow it to drop to operative position within bothholes in the head.

SrThe combination, with the drawhead of a coupler having a link chamberand pin holes in its walls above and below said chamber, of a couplingpin having at its upper end a laterally projecting shouldered lug andhandle extension inserted in the upper hole in the head and adapted bothto drop downwardly therethrough'and into the lower hole in the head to aposition deter-' mined by the engagement of its shoulder with an uppersurface of the head and to be raised clear of the link chamber andtilted rearwardly with its tip within the upper pin hole and there sup!ported in inoperative position, and as retaining means therefor aplurality of link members loosely pivoted at their outer ends to theupper end of the pin and the upper wall of the head respectively and attheir inner ends pivotally con-.

nected together behind the pin and adapted to allow the pin to be soraised and tilted while pre-.

venting the withdrawal of its tip from the upper hole and when the pinis returned to an upright position to fold and allow it to drop tooperative position within the head.

4. The combination, with the drawhead of a coupler of the typedescribed, of a coupling pin adapted to be raised to inoperativeposition with its tip within the upper pin hole in the head and tiltedrearwardly andsupported in such raised. and tilted position by theengagement of its tip.

with the walls of the hole and when returned to upright position to dropto operative position within both the upper and lower pin holes in thehead, and'as retaining means therefor a flexible elbow link connectionbetween the upper end of the pin and the head adapted to allow the abovedescribed movements of the pin and to prevent the withdrawal of its tipfrom said upper pin hole, said pin having on the forward side of its tipa beveled face adapted to frictionally engage the forward wall of theupper pin hole when the pin is raised and tilted rearwardly therein andat its upper end a shouldered lug adapted by engagement with an uppersurface of the head to limit the downward movement of the pin thereinand a handle extension bent rearwardly at an angle and serving to directthe tilt of the pin when,

raised.

in its walls above and below said chamber, a coupling pin of a sectionpermitting its insertion in both pin-retaining holes in the coupler headand extended at its upper end to provide a head for its manipulation,and a flexible pivoted link connection between the upper end of thecoupling pin and the upper wall of the coupler head permitting the pinto be lowered to operative position in both pin-retaining holes and tobe raised and tilted rearwardly only to a position at which its lowerend will substantially clear the link chamber and remain within theupper pin-retaining hole in the coupler head, said link connectioncomprising a U-shaped member with trunnion ends loosely journaled at thesides of and substantially opposite the pin-retaining hole in lugsprojecting upwardly from the upper wall of the coupler head and twolink-bars loosely pivoted at one end, to the rear of the pin, upon thetransverse connecting section of said U-shaped member and at the otherend upon opposite sides of the coupling pin.

6. In combination, a coupler with draw head having a link chamber andpin-retaining holes in its walls above and below said chamber, acoupling pin of a section permitting it to pass through thepin-retaining holes in the coupler head and having at its upper end arearwardly extending lug providing a shoulder adapted to engage the wallof the coupler head behind the upper pin-retaining hole and limit thedownward movement of the pin and a handle formed by an upward and thenrearward extension of the pin, and a flexible pivoted link connectionbetween the upper end of the coupling pin and the upper wall of the headcomprising a U-shaped member with ends bent outwardly and looselypivoted on the opposite sides of the pin-retaining hole in lugs on theupper wall of the head and then bent back outside said lugs and twolink-bars loosely pivoted at one end, to the rear of the coupling pin,upon the transverse connecting section of said U-shaped member and attheir other end to the opposite sides of the coupling pin, said linkconnection being operative when extended and without bringing itspivotal axes into alignment to permit the coupling pin to be raised andtilted back only to a point at which the pin will substantially clearthe link chamber and its tip will remain locked within the upperpin-retaining hole in the coupler head.

7. In combination, a coupler with draw head having a link chamber andpin-retaining holes in its walls above and below said chamber, acoupling pin of a section permitting it to pass through saidpin-retaining holes and having at its upper end a rearwardly projectinglug providing a shoulder adapted to engage the upper wall of the head atthe back of the upper pin-retaining hole and limit the downward movementof the pin and an upward and rearward extension providing a handle forits manipulation and at its lower tip end a beveled forward face, and aflexible pivoted link connection between the upper end of the couplingpin and the upper wall of the coupler head comprising a U-shaped memberwith ends bent outwardly and loosely pivoted in lugs on the upper wallof the coupler head upon opposite sides of the pin-retaining hole andthen bent backwardly outside said lugs and two link-bars loosely pivotedat one end, at the back of the coupling pin, upon the transverseconnecting section of said U-shaped member and at the other end upon theopposite ends of a double-headed pin set through the upper end of thecoupling pin adjacent the lug thereon, said link connection extending toallow the coupling pin to be raised and tilted rearwardly only to apoint at which its tip will substantially clear the link chamber in thecoupler head and the beveled forward face of the tip will bearfrictionally against the front side of the upper pinretaining holetherein.

LOUIS D. GREGG.

